Dog Loving Duo Disrupting The Pet Care Grooming World With

Cruelty-Free And Vegan Pet Care Products

• Ethical values and bold innovation disrupting pet care sector with award winning vegan and cruelty-free certified products

• From set-back to success, how legal challenge spurred entrepreneurial team to drive dramatic growth

• From start-up to fundraising -HOWNDnow ready for expansion and looking for funding

• Founders of successfulBring Your Dog to Work Dayannual charity fundraising event

• Recognition from industry with multiple awards and endorsement from pet care sector

For immediate release: London 14.11.17A shared love of dogs inspired entrepreneurs Mark Hirschel and Jo Amit to launchHOWND, a multi-award winning range of vegan and cruelty-free certified dog grooming products that is disrupting the pet care market.  Since its launch HOWND has quickly established itself as a bold and innovative brand in this lucrative trade and retail sector.

HOWND products are made in the UK and stocked in all Pets at Home stores nationwide, Ocado, WaitrosePet, Amazon, and used by over 2000 professional dog groomers in the UK and overseas. HOWND is now available in 11 countries in Europe, China, South Africa and the UAE with shipping to America to begin in mid-2018.

With its bold product innovations, performance and marketing initiatives, HOWND has always appeared much bigger than a start-up.  Now, Mark and Jo are ready for the next stage and are seeking investment to accelerate the company's growth.

HOWND's ethical values and bold approach to innovation has paid off, winning them a clutch of impressive awards and recognition, with the company growing rapidly since its inception.

Just one month after its launch, their latest product, all seasonsHemp by HOWND Skin, Nose and Paw Balmwith added SPF range won the prestigious PetQuip Pet Product of the Year (accessories) in September 2017.  

It has not all been plain sailing. A year into trading in 2014, a trademark challenge to the fledgling company resulted in the rebrand to HOWND. What seemed like a potential disaster at the time has turned out to be one of the best things to happen to the duo who came back bigger and better from this set back.

Jo Amit of HOWND says: "We lost five months of trading, and our year-end accounts (September 2015) showed a turnover of very low gross profit. The turning point came when Pets at Home launched the entire range in 2015, which in turn allowed us to develop new products and attract new customers. Fast forward to a year later, our turnover in comparison was up 475% with a gross profit up 640% on the previous year.

The duo's tenacity and commitment to innovation has paid off and since its relaunch and rebrand, HOWND has quickly become a known, liked and trusted brand in the pet care market.

Claire Gavin, Head of Innovation at Pets at Home said shortly after the HOWND range launched in Pets at Home in 2015: Following all the development work that has resulted in the fabulous Hownd brand, we have been able to list the range in our stores. We're excited by the performance of the body mists in particular. At Pets at Home we love to work with forward thinking, innovative suppliers like Jo and Mark who have strong beliefs and values. Not only does the ethically produced Hownd range of cruelty free conditioning shampoos and body mists look and smell lovely, their Leaping Bunny certification gives an important and real point of difference that our customers and their dogs love."

Photo credit: Yulia Titovets

HOWND's all natural, cruelty-free and 100% vegan products sets them apart from the competition, using botanical extracts and pure essential oils that humans love too. HOWND is endorsed by the Nature Watch Foundation and the brand was awarded the coveted Ethical Accreditation from the Ethical Company Organisation, with all products bearing the Cruelty Free International ‘Leaping Bunny' logo - one of a handful of pet product manufacturers worldwide to receive this accreditation.

"The amazing response to our brand inspires us to go that little bit further when creating new products.  Winning Gold for innovation atPetQuip(An international trade association for manufacturers and suppliers of pet care goods and services) is a huge coup, and really encapsulates what we are all about as a brand. It has helped raise brand awareness and provides further validation that we are moving the business in the right direction", says Mark.

HOWND is about more than just dog grooming products, its strong business ethics run through every aspect of the company and clever marketing and value-led campaigns have cemented its position as a company that really cares.  Mark and Jo founded and organise the much-loved‘Bring Your Dog To Work Day', annual charity event that has captured the heart of the nation, with big names such as Jeremy Clarkson, Ricky Gervais, Coronation Street, Shrek the Musical, Tennis TV, Larry the Cat, and many more tweeting their support on the day.

They launched the high-profile Bring Your Dog To Work Day initiative in 2014, the same year they were facing the trademark challenge and rebrand to HOWND. "Like with everything we've done, we have always punched above our weight.  Bring Your Dog To Work Day is another example of how we took an idea and from its outset made a big impact and captured the imagination of celebrities, dog lovers and thousands of companies who have supported us. We've, raised thousands of pounds for charity. Each year the day enjoys tremendous press coverage and social media engagement that culminates in the #BringYourDogToWorkDay hashtag trending at no.1 on Twitter", says Jo.

Mark and Jo are passionate about promoting the adoption of rescue dogs and last Christmas they produced a short, low-budget 2-minute film"When Harry Met Hero",which went viral on Facebook with over 8.4 million people reached, and 2.7M video views and - - 2.7M video views which resulted in a 7.9K% increase in website traffic 4 days after its release. The film was made to promote the adoption of rescue dogs through the anti-puppy farming "Adopt Don't Shop" campaign.

Jo and Mark are working on new grooming innovations alongside the launch of a reward based crowdfunding campaign for HOWND's first pet care accessory for Q1 next year. 2017 has seen continued rapid growth and consideringtheir recent success, Mark and Jo are currently preparing for a series A funding round to help accelerate their expansion.

"In a short time, we have built up a loyal and fast-growing customer base that embraces our core ethos and business values. We have a proven track record, and the fact that we've overcome obstacles shows that we have the determination and tenacity to succeed. For the right investor this is an interesting and exciting proposition", says Mark.

Ends

Notes to Editors

HOWND is a multi-award-winning natural pet care brand that manufactures ethical products for happy hounds.

Certified by Cruelty Free International, and endorsed by the Nature Watch Foundation and The Ethical Company Organisation, its range of products are designed for dogs of all breeds and life stages.

HOWND's range of Cruelty-Free certified products has been created to pamper our best friends so they will look, feel and smell gorgeous. Other products in its top-selling pet care range include: conditioning shampoos, moisturising body mists, natural colognes and parfum as well as the best-selling "Yup You Stink" antibacterial emergency dog wipes. All ranges are free from alcohol, parabens soaps, dyes and optical brighteners. HOWND products are available online and from leading retailers.

HOWND has recently been awardedaccreditation by the Ethical Company Organisation.  HOWND also hascovetedLeaping Bunny certification from Cruelty Free International and is endorsed by The Naturewatch Foundation.

Made in the UK for the local and overseas consumer and professional groomer markets, HOWND's pH-balanced formulas are infused with the highest quality natural ingredients that are free from alcohol, parabens, soaps, dyes, optical brighteners and synthetic fragrances. The company is the mastermind behind national ‘Bring Your Dog to Work Day' and makers of the viral social brand movie ‘When Harry Met Hero.'

About Petquip Awardshttp://www.petquip.com/uk/awards.htm Petquip is the International Trade Association of Pet Equipment Suppliers.